[Rumor] Domas trade watch 2026

Capt. Factorial said:
No, I cannot. But if every NBA front office jumped off a cliff, would I jump off that cliff too?

My point is that consensus - if that's even the consensus - means basically nothing to me. I'm not going to go along with something I believe to be clearly wrong just because it's popular.
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The problem is that it takes two to tango, in order to make the trade you want. So the other side's point of view and what they value matters a lot.

It's not an individual sport and business
 
Tizzy Flip said:
So do you have an opinion on why there’s such low interest in Sabonis outside of Toronto if he offers all of that? Every team has an army of people looking at all the numbers so unless they’re looking at different stats, they must be underweighting what you mentioned vs some combination of tangible and intangible elements.
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My genuine opinion is that there are a lot of bad NBA front offices. The Kings are not the only franchise that has ever put poor talent evaluators or conservative thinkers into major decision-making positions.
 
Reality is that neither Sabonis nor JJJ are guys you build as the centerpiece of a contender. But if you look at the real contenders - Spurs, Denver, OKC, or look at the next set of teams - Lakers, Minnesota, Detroit, Boston, Knicks..

All of those teams would prefer JJJ over Sabonis. They wouldn't want to take the ball out of their stars hands to use Sabonis the way needed to maximize him. But JJJ is a plug and play on every single one of those teams and instantly improves the team defense.

Its really hard to find a team where you can clearly say Sabonis would fit better. The teams that come to mind are Phoenix, Portland, Dallas, ATL. Basically a bunch of fringe playoff teams who could use an offensive hub.

I'm confused how anyone can't see this lol. Make the argument of Sabonis over JJJ on any top team.
 
Capt. Factorial said:
"He disagrees with me" and "he has a closed mind" are not synonymous.
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Except where did I disagree with you? I was asking out loud if you could explain why most teams are overlooking VORP in assessing Sabonis’ value vs JJJ. And you decided to cover your ears in your response. I didn’t even offer an opinion. It’s okay, no need to respond. We’re wasting each other’s time
 
The_Jamal said:
Thankfully, he's been better the last few years. Not a star by any means, but he's taken the Andrew Wiggins route of being an incredibly inefficient chucker to being a good starting caliber wing.

We better be getting 2 picks at bare minimum. RJ+Ochai+1 FRP is a complete disaster
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He hasn't been awful or anything but he's not worth his contract and more importantly, not even remotely close to as effective as Sabonis. He's really just another version of the same guys we're trying to get rid of. Might not be quite as bad as they are but he's available for a reason and it's not because the Raptors are in the business of dealing good solid young players. They know he's an empty statter masquerading as a #2 option.

IMO if he's the main piece in a Sabonis deal, it's a KANGZ move. If they have the opportunity to take on the Poeltl contract and get a couple extra picks out of it, then this franchise needs to pull the trigger on that and quit trying to shortcut the rebuild. Unless something miraculous happens, this team is going to be bad for the next 2-3 years, so why worry about cap space during that period? Just stay bad, draft near the top of the draft, hit on a pick or two later in the first round as well and you're off and running like Memphis was a few years ago. No one here is expecting a championship but we'd all like to see a 3-4 year playoff run at minimum.
 
KingsRUs said:
The value is two firsts, with RJ/Jak I believe is what we will see if trade is consummated
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If they are unprotected and 2026/2028 I agree. And we should do it. If we get 3 picks they will be 2027 and later. I don't think Toronto is picking in the lottery but there should be more talent in the middle of this draft unless everyone decides to stay in college so they can get drafted higher next year.
 
ShastaKingsFan said:
I think the big question at this point is, does the league value his style of play and ability to fit, as much as they do Jackson. The answer is probably not
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No, the question is: Does Toronto value Sabonis's style of play and ability to fit for their team. We're not trading Sabonis to the entire league, just Toronto.
 
BuddyBuckets said:
Reality is that neither Sabonis nor JJJ are guys you build as the centerpiece of a contender. But if you look at the real contenders - Spurs, Denver, OKC, or look at the next set of teams - Lakers, Minnesota, Detroit, Boston, Knicks..

All of those teams would prefer JJJ over Sabonis. They wouldn't want to take the ball out of their stars hands to use Sabonis the way needed to maximize him. But JJJ is a plug and play on every single one of those teams and instantly improves the team defense.

Its really hard to find a team where you can clearly say Sabonis would fit better. The teams that come to mind are Phoenix, Portland, Dallas, ATL. Basically a bunch of fringe playoff teams who could use an offensive hub.

I'm confused how anyone can't see this lol. Make the argument of Sabonis over JJJ on any top team.
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I could easily see Sabonis make Toronto players better on offense through his ability to facilitate. They already have plenty of defense, which nicely complements his defensive weaknesses. I don't see JJJ making them better on offense and he's a redundancy for their team on defense.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
If they are unprotected and 2026/2028 I agree. And we should do it. If we get 3 picks they will be 2027 and later. I don't think Toronto is picking in the lottery but there should be more talent in the middle of this draft unless everyone decides to stay in college so they can get drafted higher next year.
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Things change really quickly in the NBA nowadays. Just like the T-wolves pick we got in the Fox trade, anything unprotected, 2 or more years into the future, seems like a relatively good lottery ticket to hold. Of course, there are still degrees in value based on the team, but a pretty good asset to hold regardless of the Raptors' current standing in the league.
 
TaxMan said:
Things change really quickly in the NBA nowadays. Just like the T-wolves pick we got in the Fox trade, anything unprotected, 2 or more years into the future, seems like a relatively good lottery ticket to hold. Of course, there are still degrees in value based on the team, but a pretty good asset to hold regardless of the Raptors' current standing in the league.
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I'm just noting that of the 3 picks Memphis got two are projected to be in less hype drafts. So if we get one in 2026 that beats two in 2027, imho.
 
I’m open to many iterations of this deal.

Three firsts are attached RJ and Poetl

RJ, Dick, Ogbaji and a pick

Two picks RJ and salary that isn’t Poetl

In general I want this done for us and for Domas.

In regards to the JJJ or Domas debate. I understand Domas is excellent at certain aspects of the game and his numbers look great but I ultimately think I’d rather have JJJ. If I’m being honest I think I’d rather neither but JJJ fits most teams better. All that being said Toronto could be a really good spot for Domas.
 
I wouldn’t have thought but the Toronto area also has several wineries especially in the Canadian Niagara region.
Might help make for a more attractive landing spot for him and his wife.
 
Kingster said:
I could easily see Sabonis make Toronto players better on offense through his ability to facilitate. They already have plenty of defense, which nicely complements his defensive weaknesses. I don't see JJJ making them better on offense and he's a redundancy for their team on defense.
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I don't see it personally. In this hypothetical world where we are adding 1 player to the current team.
IQ - Barrett - Ingram - Barnes
The only plus defender in that lineup is Barnes. Then you have 4 guys who literally all play on ball (4 guys 21+% usage). The only thing they really need Sabonis for is rebounding.

I honestly don't get why Toronto wants Sabonis outside of just dumping worse contracts.
IQ - 37% from 3
Ingram - 36%
Barnes - 30%

They have 5 players who average 3.5 - 6 assists per game (meaning no issue with playmaking). 8 guys who average 2+.

I guess the thought is you are buying Sabonis at the absolute lowest possible point, and you can always look to move IQ/Ingram for a better fit. But I see this team having a lot of the same issues as Sac. Just better coached + better chemistry + a much worse conference.

My guess is that they have positive results out the gate and by next deadline its souring on the fit and the east is looking better as a whole. And then Ingram gets traded for some shooters/defense.
 
Joshyjosh31 said:
Can you answer Tizzy response then? Surely nba FO’s have those advance numbers that you have
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For those with curious minds and appreciate nuance, here’s Claude’s take on it…

VORP has some significant limitations that explain why NBA teams value Jackson more highly despite potentially lower VORP numbers.

Here’s why:

The Fundamental Problem: VORP Doesn’t Capture Elite Defense

The biggest problem with VORP is that it generally ignores the quality of a player’s man defense. Until the NBA adapts more defensive statistics, all we have are blocks and steals, which are clearly inadequate. Defensive specialists who do not generate many blocks and steals are always going to be dramatically underrated by the system. BPM (which feeds into VORP) is particularly an issue for elite defenders where it simply does not recognize them from their box score statistics. This is critical for Jackson vs. Sabonis - Jackson’s elite rim protection, help defense, and switchability don’t show up fully in VORP, while Sabonis’s offensive stats (points, rebounds, assists) are heavily rewarded.

Context Matters: Team Quality Skews VORP

Sabonis likely has higher VORP partly because he:
∙ Plays huge minutes on a bad team (more opportunities to accumulate stats)
∙ Gets more touches and usage when his team is desperate for offense
∙ Racks up assists and rebounds that boost box score metrics

VORP rewards volume and box score production, not necessarily winning impact. A player can have great VORP on a lottery team while an elite defender on a better team has lower VORP.

Here’s the real kicker - VORP measures regular season impact, but trade value is about championship potential. In the playoffs:
∙ Elite defenders become exponentially more valuable when games slow down
∙ Offensive-only centers get hunted in pick-and-roll and exposed
∙ Spacing and switchability become premium commodities
∙ Jackson’s ability to protect the rim AND stretch the floor is rare and crucial

Teams building for championships need two-way players who can survive playoff basketball, not regular season stat accumulators.

The Market Speaks Louder Than VORP
The trade market tells the real story:
∙ Jackson just netted three first-round picks
∙ Sabonis is barely drawing one first-round pick offers and struggling to find takers

NBA front offices have access to far more sophisticated metrics than VORP (player tracking data, lineup data, impact metrics) and they’re clearly telling us Jackson is more valuable.

Bottom line: VORP is useful for regular season evaluation, but it has well-documented blind spots around defense and playoff value. When building a championship contender, you need what Jackson provides - not what Sabonis accumulates in the regular season on losing teams.
 
Capt. Factorial said:
No, I cannot. But if every NBA front office jumped off a cliff, would I jump off that cliff too?

My point is that consensus - if that's even the consensus - means basically nothing to me. I'm not going to go along with something I believe to be clearly wrong just because it's popular.
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It doesn’t have to mean anything to you. It’s what Perry thinks
 
Tizzy Flip said:
For those with curious minds and appreciate nuance, here’s Claude’s take on it…

VORP has some significant limitations that explain why NBA teams value Jackson more highly despite potentially lower VORP numbers.

Here’s why:

The Fundamental Problem: VORP Doesn’t Capture Elite Defense

The biggest problem with VORP is that it generally ignores the quality of a player’s man defense. Until the NBA adapts more defensive statistics, all we have are blocks and steals, which are clearly inadequate. Defensive specialists who do not generate many blocks and steals are always going to be dramatically underrated by the system. BPM (which feeds into VORP) is particularly an issue for elite defenders where it simply does not recognize them from their box score statistics. This is critical for Jackson vs. Sabonis - Jackson’s elite rim protection, help defense, and switchability don’t show up fully in VORP, while Sabonis’s offensive stats (points, rebounds, assists) are heavily rewarded.

Context Matters: Team Quality Skews VORP

Sabonis likely has higher VORP partly because he:
∙ Plays huge minutes on a bad team (more opportunities to accumulate stats)
∙ Gets more touches and usage when his team is desperate for offense
∙ Racks up assists and rebounds that boost box score metrics

VORP rewards volume and box score production, not necessarily winning impact. A player can have great VORP on a lottery team while an elite defender on a better team has lower VORP.

Here’s the real kicker - VORP measures regular season impact, but trade value is about championship potential. In the playoffs:
∙ Elite defenders become exponentially more valuable when games slow down
∙ Offensive-only centers get hunted in pick-and-roll and exposed
∙ Spacing and switchability become premium commodities
∙ Jackson’s ability to protect the rim AND stretch the floor is rare and crucial

Teams building for championships need two-way players who can survive playoff basketball, not regular season stat accumulators.

The Market Speaks Louder Than VORP
The trade market tells the real story:
∙ Jackson just netted three first-round picks
∙ Sabonis is barely drawing one first-round pick offers and struggling to find takers

NBA front offices have access to far more sophisticated metrics than VORP (player tracking data, lineup data, impact metrics) and they’re clearly telling us Jackson is more valuable.

Bottom line: VORP is useful for regular season evaluation, but it has well-documented blind spots around defense and playoff value. When building a championship contender, you need what Jackson provides - not what Sabonis accumulates in the regular season on losing teams.
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add in the fact that he's still not a real threat to make shots from any distance outside of 10 feet. If anything the shot looks like it's regressed. The strategy that the Warriors used against him in that 7 game series, is at least as relevant now
 
coolhandluke said:
No CMB? Who else is added to match salary?
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If not Poeltl it would likely have to be a 4 for 1: Barrett, Ogbaji, Dick and Temple.

I think RJ is ok, but I’m not totally convinced him and a first is better for the Kings than just keeping Sabonis. The Raptors want Sabonis because they think their wing/guard defense can make up for him on that end and his offense takes them to another level, especially in the half court. Why don’t WE just build a proper team around him? Barrett/Hunter/Keegan would have been awesome between Fox and Sabonis but not sure about it now
 
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